Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Philippe J. Eugster, Jonathan Maurer, Celine Vocat, Karim Abid, Maurice Matter, Gregoire Wuerzner, Roman Trepp, Stefan Fischli, Christoph Henzen, Walter Kolb, Stefan Bilz, Sarah Sigrist, Felix Beuschlein, Svenja Nolting, Astrid Reul, Ina Schutze, Scott A. Hubers, Nancy J. Brown, Eric Grouzmann
Summary: Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a vasoconstrictor peptide co-secreted with catecholamines and has potential as a biomarker for the diagnosis of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs). A multiplex micro-UHPLC-MS/MS assay was developed to quantify various NPY peptides, and reference intervals and concentrations were determined in PPGL patients. NPYs showed potential as a substitute for early diagnosis of PPGL in patients with severe kidney impairment or receiving treatments that interfere with catecholamine reuptake.
CLINICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tsuguto Masaki, Yoshio Kodera, Michishige Terasaki, Kazumi Fujimoto, Tsutomu Hirano, Masayoshi Shichiri
Summary: A new plasma peptidomic technique was used to identify a novel endogenous proatherogenic peptide, GIP_HUMAN[22-51], which accelerates atherosclerosis by modulating the cardiovascular system and inducing inflammatory responses.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Ilker Demir, Suat Tekin, Nigar Vardi, Suleyman Sandal
Summary: The study found that Sal-beta infusion increased GnRH mRNA levels in hypothalamus tissues, and serum LH, FSH, and testosterone levels of the rats were significantly higher following Sal-beta infusion. Additionally, histological examination of the testicle tissues showed that Sal-beta application decreased the seminiferous tubule diameter and germinal epithelial thickness.
GENERAL AND COMPARATIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Lei Wang, Shigetomo Suyama, Samantha A. A. Lee, Yoichi Ueta, Yutaka Seino, Geoffrey W. G. Sharp, Toshihiko Yada
Summary: Fasting can be used to treat obesity-related diseases, but it often leads to hyperphagia and weight rebound after re-feeding. This study reveals that fasting depresses synaptic transmission in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and activates the NPY-Y1R-oxytocin neurocircuit, resulting in acute hyperphagia. The intensity of fasting and the presence of hysteresis play important roles in the success of dieting.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Barbara Maiztegui, Hernan Gonzalo Villagarcia, Carolina Lisi Roman, Luis Emilio Flores, Jose Maria Prieto, Maria Cecilia Castro, Maria Laura Massa, Guillermo R. R. Schinella, Flavio Francini
Summary: A study was conducted on Yerba mate (YM), an aqueous extract of Ilex paraguariensis, and found that it has antioxidant, diuretic, cardio-protective, and hypoglycemic properties. The study evaluated the effect of YM on insulin sensitivity and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in rats, and found that YM improved glucose tolerance and enhanced GSIS.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
M. A. Chagas, L. P. Custodio, B. S. Gusmao, I. M. Costa, G. H. Juliao, S. L. S. Bordolini, L. R. Costa, M. R. M. Bosculo, T. F. Moreira, B. F. M. Almeida, N. P. Reis Filho, F. G. Romao, C. J. X. Abimussi, B. P. Floriano
Summary: The study investigated the effects of 1% propofol on cholesterol and triglyceride levels in healthy bitches undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy. The results showed that propofol significantly increased serum triglycerides and caused lipemia in healthy dogs, whether given as a single bolus or continuous rate infusion.
TOPICS IN COMPANION ANIMAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Supriya Srivastav, Asen Dankov, Mujo Adanalic, Roland Grzeschik, Vi Tran, Sibylle Pagel-Wieder, Frank Gessler, Ingo Spreitzer, Tatjana Scholz, Barbara Schnierle, Olympia E. Anastasiou, Ulf Dittmer, Sebastian Schluecker
Summary: The study compared the performance of a conventional lateral flow assay (LFA) with a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based LFA test in detecting SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM/IgG in sera of COVID-19 patients. The custom-built SERS reader showed at least an order of magnitude higher sensitivity than conventional LFAs with naked-eye detection. SERS detection in a purified system showed a sensitivity that is 7 orders of magnitude higher than naked-eye detection, indicating the high potential of SERS-based LFAs in point-of-care testing.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
David Fistera, Dirk Pabst, Maximilian Falk, Olympia E. Anastasiou, Stefan Goer, Sebastian Dolff, Margarethe Konik, Frank Herbstreit, Christian Taube, Clemens Kill, Joachim Risse
Summary: During the first twelve months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university hospital of Essen had over 1400 COVID-19 inpatients with a mortality rate of 19.8%. Patients receiving standard care had a mortality rate of 10.6%, while those requiring intermediate/intensive care had a mortality rate of 35.5%. Age over 60, obesity, need for mechanical ventilation, nitric oxide therapy, ECMO, acute renal failure, and stroke were found to be independent predictors of mortality.
DEUTSCHE MEDIZINISCHE WOCHENSCHRIFT
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Krystallenia Paniskaki, Moritz Anft, Toni L. Meister, Corinna Marheinecke, Stephanie Pfaender, Sarah Skrzypczyk, Felix S. Seibert, Constantin J. Thieme, Margarethe J. Konik, Sebastian Dolff, Olympia Anastasiou, Bodo Holzer, Ulf Dittmer, Christine Queren, Lutz Fricke, Hana Rohn, Timm H. Westhoff, Oliver Witzke, Ulrik Stervbo, Toralf Roch, Nina Babel
Summary: In this study, the immune response of 8 patients infected with the alpha variant after receiving double mRNA-based vaccines was analyzed. The results showed that these patients had no detectable CD4+ and CD8+ T cell response against the S protein of the alpha variant, but had a strong CD4+ T cell response against the N and M proteins. Furthermore, a delayed CD4+ T cell response against the alpha S protein was observed during disease progression. These patients also had lower neutralizing antibody titers against the alpha variant compared to the vaccinated control group. Therefore, it may be necessary to include VBI patients in alternative vaccination strategies and include additional antigenic targets in next-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Caroline Holtkamp, Melanie Fiedler, Ulf Dittmer, Olympia E. Anastasiou
Summary: This study analyzed the course of anti-HBc antibodies after hepatitis B virus infection and found that permanent or intermittent loss of anti-HBc antibodies is more common in immunocompromised hosts.
Article
Immunology
Michael Jahn, Johannes Korth, Oliver Dorsch, Olympia Evdoxia Anastasiou, Adalbert Krawczyk, Leonie Brochhagen, Lukas van de Sand, Burkhard Sorge-Haedicke, Bartosz Tyczynski, Oliver Witzke, Ulf Dittmer, Sebastian Dolff, Benjamin Wilde, Andreas Kribben
Summary: This study analyzed the levels of binding and neutralizing antibodies up to 6 months after standard vaccination in SARS-CoV-2 naive patients on hemodialysis. The study found that there may be a decline in humoral immune responses in these patients after 6 months, increasing the risk of infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Low serum albumin was identified as the strongest risk factor for the absence of immune responses.
Article
Virology
Korbinian Wunsch, Olympia E. Anastasiou, Mira Alt, Leonie Brochhagen, Maxim Cherneha, Laura Thummler, Lukas van Baal, Rabea J. Madel, Monika Lindemann, Christian Taube, Oliver Witzke, Hana Rohn, Adalbert Krawczyk, Sarah Jansen
Summary: The highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a global pandemic of acute respiratory illness, posing a major threat to the healthcare system's capacity to respond to COVID-19. Elderly and immunocompromised patients are at higher risk for severe disease and have reduced immune responses. This study aimed to characterize high-risk patient cohorts and investigate their immune responses and infectivity, providing valuable information for clinical management.
Article
Immunology
Katharina Willuweit, Alexandra Frey, Moritz Passenberg, Johannes Korth, Nissrin Saka, Olympia E. Anastasiou, Birte Moehlendick, Andreas Schuette, Hartmut Schmidt, Jassin Rashidi-Alavijeh
Summary: Patients with liver cirrhosis showed a favorable initial outcome after vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccine, but the antibody response deteriorated rapidly over time, highlighting the importance of early booster immunization for this group of patients.
Article
Immunology
Birte Moehlendick, Ieva Ciuciulkaite, Carina Elsner, Olympia E. Anastasiou, Mirko Trilling, Bernd Wagner, Denise Zwanziger, Karl-Heinz Joeckel, Ulf Dittmer, Winfried Siffert
Summary: The risk of developing an Omicron breakthrough infection was found to be 10 times higher in individuals with low pre-infection anti-spike antibodies and weaker neutralization capacity against Omicron one month after the booster vaccination. Routine testing of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies and surrogate virus neutralization can help identify individuals at risk for breakthrough infections.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Laura Thuemmler, Margarethe Konik, Monika Lindemann, Neslinur Fisenkci, Michael Koldehoff, Anja Gaeckler, Peter A. Horn, Fotis Theodoropoulos, Christian Taube, Markus Zettler, Olympia Evdoxia Anastasiou, Peer Brass, Sarah Jansen, Oliver Witzke, Hana Rohn, Adalbert Krawczyk
Summary: This study investigated the long-term cellular immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in immunocompromised high-risk patients. The results suggest that immunocompromised patients develop a weak cellular immune response after COVID-19.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Dennis Schmiege, Timo Haselhoff, Salman Ahmed, Olympia Evdoxia Anastasiou, Susanne Moebus
Summary: This study in a metropolitan area in Germany examined the association between built environment factors and SARS-CoV-2 infections. The results showed that urban greenness, rooms per person, and living space per person were negatively associated with neighborhood infection rates, while multi-storey buildings and green space did not show a substantial association. The findings highlight environmental health inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JOURNAL OF URBAN HEALTH-BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caroline Holtkamp, Lara Schoeler, Olympia E. Anastasiou, Bastian Brune, Kai Fessmann, Carina Elsner, Birte Moehlendick, Ieva Ciuciulkaite, Marcel Dudda, Mirko Trilling, Ulf Dittmer, Joerg Spors, Vu Thuy Khanh Le-Trilling
Summary: Knowledge regarding the sustainability of immune responses after COVID-19 vaccination is crucial for making decisions on booster shots. This study analyzed antibody levels in firefighters six months after receiving the mRNA-based vaccine Comirnaty. The results showed that antibody levels were still detectable in all participants and 91% had neutralizing antibody titers above 1:16 after six months. However, the antibody titers were over 12-fold lower compared to healthcare workers four weeks after vaccination. Age had an inverse correlation with antibody response and participants with a body mass index over 25 had higher neutralizing antibody titers after six months. Booster vaccination improved the extent and sustainability of antibody responses.
Article
Immunology
Moritz Passenberg, Roxane Authorsen-Grudmann, Alexandra Frey, Johannes Korth, Jaqueline Zmudzinski, Olympia E. Anastasiou, Birte Moehlendick, Hartmut Schmidt, Jassin Rashidi-Alavijeh, Katharina Willuweit
Summary: Immunogenicity is impaired in liver transplant recipients after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, but a third dose improves antibody response. In the general population, antibody response decreases over time after two vaccine doses, but is more robust after the third dose. The durability of antibody response after a third dose in liver transplant recipients has not been analyzed. A study of 300 recipients showed that 74% developed antibodies after two doses, with response depending on medication and age. Antibody titers decreased after six months, but increased in 92% of patients after the third dose. After a further six-month period, the waning of antibody titers was not significant. This study confirms the efficacy of a third dose in liver transplant recipients and a sustained humoral response with superior durability compared to the second dose.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Olympia E. Anastasiou, Vu Thuy Khanh Le-Trilling, Mirko Trilling
Summary: During pandemics and epidemic waves, the capacity for qRT-PCRs becomes a limiting factor. This study investigates the association between initial Ct values of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the time to test negativity, proposing an adjusted retesting strategy based on the initial Ct value to optimize PCR resources.
DIAGNOSTIC MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Virology
Georgios Tampakoudis, Olympia E. Anastasiou
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the burden of HPV-related hospitalization in Germany from 2000 to 2021 and the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on it. The results showed a decreasing trend in HPV-attributable hospitalization rates, particularly in cervical cancer and dysplasia, suggesting the potential efficacy of HPV vaccination and screening programs.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
David Fistera, Tobias Hoelscher, Dirk Pabst, Randi Manegold, Olympia E. Anastasiou, Sebastian Dolff, Clemens Kill, Joachim Risse
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a major challenge to global healthcare systems. This study found that rapid antigen testing can help improve early triage and patient safety in the emergency department. The suggested triage algorithm was shown to be safe and efficient in the study.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giovanni Pacini, Bo Ahren
Summary: Tirzepatide stimulates both insulin secretion and glucose effectiveness, with stimulation of glucose effectiveness being the prominent process to reduce glucose.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Si -yu Wang, Yu-zhe Zhang, Xiao-han Liu, Xue-ci Guo, Xiao-fang Wang, Feng-tong Han, Yao Zhang, Chang -lin Wang
Summary: In the formalin pain test, the EM-2 analogs EM-2-Me, EM-2-Et, and EM-2-Bu showed significant analgesic effects with reduced tolerance and gastrointestinal side effects. These effects were mediated through central opioid mechanisms, with EM-2-Me possibly involving dynorphin A release and EM-2-Bu directly activating multiple opioid receptors.